Columbia, Missouri's Locked Shut deliver a ferocious brand of Midwest hardcore fronted by Alex Kelly, with serrated vocals tearing over jet-black basslines and galloping drums. Their breakout album 'The New Chaos' packs eight tracks into fifteen blistering minutes, drawing attention from national heavy music outlets like Lambgoat. The band strikes a blow for the Midwest hardcore underground with riffs that are lean, mean, and built for the pit.

Austin, Texas hardcore outfit Next of Kin bring fierce energy to the Lone Star State's growing heavy music scene, delivering urgent, no-frills hardcore punk built for sweat-soaked basement shows and festival stages alike. The band's raw, aggressive sound draws from classic hardcore traditions while channeling the intensity of their local scene into short, explosive bursts of controlled chaos.

Peace Control channel raw, politically charged hardcore punk with a confrontational energy that recalls the urgency of early D.C. and West Coast punk scenes. Their aggressive, no-frills approach strips hardcore down to its most essential elements: furious tempos, barked vocals, and riffs that hit with immediate, visceral impact.

Santa Cruz, California's Scowl, fronted by the magnetic Kat Moss, deliver a furious blend of hardcore punk and power-pop that has made them one of the most exciting crossover acts in the modern punk scene. Their 2022 album 'Psychic Dance Routine' on Flatspot Records showcased a band willing to blend raging hardcore with sugary melodies and surf-rock guitar tones. Scowl's ability to pack genuine menace and joyful energy into sub-two-minute songs has earned them widespread acclaim and tours with everyone from Turnstile to Drain.